Sakura's Creed
by Evangeline's Productions
Summary: Sakura has always been known as weak. She's being left behind on missions and her life is a mess, but what happens when someone decides to introduce her to a certain...Creed?
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfiction story. Please keep that in mind :) Because of that, certain characters might appear OoC. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these charactors.  
**

* * *

_**It would've been an ordinary day for Sakura Haruno, that is, if she wasn't about to die.**_

Her day started just like all the others, with her being left behind…_again_. Team 7 never really needed her. They were never wounded enough to have the need of a medical ninja. So, as the sun rose in the east, she watched as her _former team_ departed on the mission that they had been given.

Sakura wasn't hurt by this action, since this has been going on for close to _3 years_. She knew her team-mates despised bringing her along on a mission, even her sensei. According to them she was "_dead weight_".

She felt disappointed in herself, so she stopped training as much as she used to and stuck to the title of _chunnin_, whilst everyone else went to the ranks of _jonin_ and _anbu. _She gave up her dream of becoming an elite ninja, since she knew it was useless trying to compete with Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi.

Instead, she now runs errands for the 5th hokage all around the village…until today. Tsunade gave her the day of and Sakura decided she would do some grocery shopping, since her fridge was almost entirely empty. She invited Ino, but, sadly she was too busy today. So Sakura ventured into the market on her own.

Whilst she walked in the streets of the market, something drew her attention up in the sky. As she shifted her gaze to see what it was, she saw a great eagle soar above them making a screeching noise. She watched it fly in a circular motion for a few minutes, admiring its beauty.

It looked so peaceful and free, like there was nothing in the world that could possibly cage this creature. But then, sad as it may be, it flew out of sight in a north-east direction. She was sad that the creature had to leave, but then shook of the feeling and continued her shopping.

* * *

Sakura was almost finished with her shopping, obviously exhausted after a long day's work (if that's what you want to call it). She looked at her list and saw she only had 3 items left, all of which she could buy at one store. So she made her way through the crowd towards her chosen stall, but when she reached it she saw that the queue was so long you couldn't even see the end.

"What?!" she breathed out hopelessly. She took a deep breath and looked at the list again.

"Kunai knives, shuriken, paper bombs".

Did she really need these?

She thought about this for a moment. She never really went on missions anymore. All she ever did was run around transporting things from place to place in the village. On the other hand, Naruto always needed these and doesn't really have any left after his encounter with a certain _Uchiha_.

_**Sasuke Uchiha**_… She had always wanted to be with him when they were younger. Now, she really doesn't care anymore. When she looks back at her childhood, all these painful memories come back. Like the time when Naruto and Sasuke fought Zabuza. She was left out and had to watch from the sidelines, just like all the other fights. Or the time when Sasuke called her weak and annoying, which she admits now since she really felt like that back then. But the thing that made her despise him the most, is the fact that he knocked her out and left her on a bench while he walked away in search of his _revenge_.

She gave a small shudder as she tried to forget these memories that were racing through her head and looked around. Her gaze drifted to a small bench that sat nearby. Suddenly she felt really tired and decided she would sit down for a little, whilst she waited for the queue to shorten.

She closed her eyes and felt a cool breeze brush over her cheek. She felt relaxed and at ease. She was near sleep when the same screech she heard earlier woke her from her daydream. Her eyes snapped open and searched the sky bewildered until she saw the eagle again.

This time it was flying a little lower so she could get a closer look. It had a small white head and lots of tail feathers sprouted out at the back. The rest of it was covered in dark brown feathers. She truly loved watching it and forgot about everything in that instant. She was captivated by it until she felt a light thud next to her. She quickly shifted her gaze to the cause of the "thud" and saw a neat pack of shuriken, kunai knives and paper bombs.

Sakura instantly looked around her, searching for the person who might have left it there. Another screech was heard. Sakura looked up at the eagle who was circling her in the sky. It kept on screeching and Sakura looked a bit confused for a moment until the eagle swooped down and landed next to her by the package.

Sakura then understood and carefully took the bundle of equipment into her hands. The eagle then flew of into the sky heading the direction of the sun. It circled a tall tower once and- _Were her eyes deceiving her?_

On top of the large building was a crouching, white hooded figure looking in her direction. She stared at him for a split second, then the eagle swooped in front of him and he was gone.

She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes.

"Was I imagining it?"

She quickly gathered her things and made her way to the hokage's tower.

* * *

"I'm not lying! I saw an eagle and there was a man standi-"

"Sakura, eagles only appear in certain parts of the world. This, unfortunately, is not one of those parts"

"But I saw them. They're real, Lady Tsunade! Please believe me!"

"It was probably just a trick of the light, Sakura. Look, it's getting late and you're exhausted. I'll have one of the _jonin_ escort you ho-"

"It looks like now I'm too weak to even walk home by myself! I hate this village! I HATE IT!"

Sakura stormed out of Tsunade's office and slammed the door shut. The fifth Hokage gave a small sigh and hung her head in her hands. A few seconds later Kakashi walked in.

"You called?" he asked.

"Huh, oh yes, um, I need you to escort Sakura home."

"Okay… Where is she?"

"She already left. If you hurry you can catch up to her."

"Did she do it again?"

"Yes. Honestly, I don't know what's gotten into her. She doesn't have any interest in going on missions, she's failing at every medical _jutsu_ known to ninja, every time I see her she looks exhausted, she's always late…"

Kakashi gave a questioning look and chuckled inwardly at the last comment. His student had learnt his old habit.

"She's later than you are, Kakashi."

Kakashi responded with a serious look this time, the comments from before finally hitting him. He was indeed worried about his former student. He missed the old Sakura… everyone did. But no matter what they do, she refuses to talk to them about it, saying things like "You're imagining things" and "I'm fine. Don't worry about me". But what she doesn't realize is that the more she says it the more they worry. She won't talk to anyone about it, not even Ino.

"I don't know how to handle her anymore. It's like she switched bodies with someone else. I didn't want to say anything at first, but… I'm thinking of… dismissing her as my apprentice."

Kakashi was a bit shocked. He didn't expect to hear this.

"Surely she hasn't been that bad? She's always worked hard. I can't think of any reason why she suddenly slacked of this much."

"That's exactly the point, Kakashi! None of you notice anything, do you? She's slacking of because, as far as I know, she believes she's useless."

He stood in silence.

"Think about it, Kakashi! She's always in the leaf village, because no one is there to train her! Naruto is with Jiraiya, Sasuke is with Orochimaru, I'm too busy and **you're always away on missions!**"

Kakashi was speechless. Now that he thought about it, Sakura was acting strange. He was just…never around to see it.

"Look, Sakura's hiding something and when I look at her I can see she's in pain. I'm worried about my disciple. She's like a… daughter… to me."

There was a silence that entered the room. Kakashi was the first one to speak.

"I never realized this. I actually feel ashamed of calling myself her teacher"

"I'm glad you brought that up, Kakashi. I have a mission for you, concerning Sakura."

He was intrigued at this and remained silent to receive his mission.

"I want you to spend some time with Sakura and find out what's bothering her. Until you've found out, you will receive no other missions. Understood?"

Kakashi was a bit disappointed. He expected something a bit more _dangerous_, but he agreed with a sad nod, since he knew it was no use arguing. With that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Sakura was walking through the darkened street in an outraged mood. She was upset that no one believed her. It was always like this. She would go and report something and no one would listen, _but_ (the big "_but") _if _Naruto_ or _Ino_ went and told _Tsunade_ the same thing, all the _anbu_ teams would be sent out.

She was _sick_ of it, _Sick of it all. _They didn't even notice her pain. They don't even know what happened to her two years ago. At first she thought she was hiding it too well for anyone to notice, but later she realized…_they just didn't care_.

"I hate this village and everything in it" she mumbled as she passed a big oak tree. She stopped, then looked back at the tree. It was the same tree _Sasuke_ stood on when they met _Gaara _in the _chunnin exams_. Suddenly, she felt all the rage and anger she harboured from her past, return.

She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, trying not to let any of it escape, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her _chakra _encircling her. This time, however, her _chakra_ was indigo coloured.

Soon enough it became to hard for her to contain this newly found strength and she decided to let her anger out on the large tree that stood before her, _the tree that brought back so many memories_.

Without warning, she slammed her fist full of _chakra_ into the tree. As soon as the tree received the impact, it flew out of the ground and split in two. The upper part flew half way across the village and the other shot out to her right.

She remained in her last position, breathing heavily. She was almost at the point of crying, when she heard someone speak, someone she knew…_or thought she knew_.

"You should be more careful, Sakura. You could hurt someone"

She looked over at the silver haired ninja who was supposedly her former _sensei_. All thoughts of crying were erased from her mind. As soon as she regained her composure she replied.

"Go away, _sensei_. I can walk home on my own. I don't need to be looked after like I'm a baby."

"What makes you think I'm here to escort you home, Sakura?"

"I know how my teacher thinks. I've been her apprentice for years. She always sends someone after me; like she's afraid I'll break down the village"

"I may be a bit out of line here, but you did just demolish that tree over there."

Sakura gave a side way glance to the place where, a once beautiful tree stood. There was nothing left of it. Small pieces of wood were scattered everywhere. The lower part of the tree hit the wall of an apartment and was shattered into a million tiny wooden pieces. Needles to say, the apartment didn't look any better.

A frown crossed Sakura's face and Kakashi gave a small chuckle.

"Besides, I'm not here because the _hokage_ sent me. You're a strong, successful _kunoichi _and I have no doubt in my mind that you'll chase of anyone who tries to mess with you"

Sakura suddenly felt a little better. Kakashi may be a perve, but he knows how to handle his students. But this fact didn't lower Sakura's guard.

"Then why are you here, _sensei_?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to go for a walk and that's when I heard you blowing that tree into smithereens"

He wasn't lying, since he did go home to get some sleep, but his reason for getting up was that he was pondering on the mission he had been given. So he decided to go for a walk, heard the crash and rushed over, for he knew it was Sakura.

"Do you mind if I join you? It's rather depressing for a guy like me to walk alone and maybe I'll be able to save an object from its demise"

Sakura was unsure.

"I've been wondering what you guys have been up to. Maybe you could fill your old _sensei_ in on all the details."

She may have been furious, but her former _sensei_ could always cheer her up, like the time _Naruto's rasengan_ and _Sasuke's chidori _almost clashed. Kakashi stopped them from hitting Sakura when she ran in between them and when she cried thereafter he told her to cheer up and that everything would be okay.

He was definitely a cool person to hangout with. After a few seconds she came to her decision.

"I guess you could if you really wanted to, _sensei_"

"Great!"

Kakashi walked over to where Sakura was standing. When he reached her, she joined him in walking to no place in particular. There was a bit of a silence, but that was soon fixed by Kakashi.

"I hear _Naruto's_ doing well. He learned the _rasenshuriken_, right?"

"Ahuh. By the looks of things, he stands a chance to become the next _hokage_."

"I guess that's to be expected. He is, after all, the number one hyperactive, knucklehead ninja."

"That's true, but somehow, he seems a lot more mature then he was back then."

"You seem to have matured a lot too, Sakura."

"Thanks for the compliment, but I don't think I'm that much different from before. I'm still just dead weight."

"Many teams need medical ninja's. I bet they'd be grateful to have you on their team."

"Hm…I'm actually thinking of renouncing my apprenticeship."

This caught him a bit of guard.

"What? Why?"

"I haven't been doing to well in my training and a good ninja shouldn't need to be healed."

"Sakura, you need to think carefully about this. The _hokage_ doesn't just allow any one to be her apprentice. To abandon everything you've worked for over the past few years would be-"

"**Foolish? Selfless? **You don't know anything about me. No one cares about anything regarding me, least of all you! So I suggest you all just back off and **leave me alone!**"

With that said and done, Sakura took of, leaving her former sensei standing in the middle of the street.

* * *

Sakura was sprinting through the village trying to erase the tears that were forming in her eyes, but like before, it was unstoppable. She gave hard, painful sobs.

"Why can't they leave me alone? They've never cared about me. Why should they start now? I'm just a useless kunoichi with no reason for living."

She ran on, through the night, to one place in particular. A place she always went to with her problems, a place where no ninja would find her.

She jumped from roof to roof and soon reached the exit to the village. She ran into the forest, past the training grounds and into a clearing. From a distance, no one can see anything, but if you go into it you can see a rather large statue of a gargoyle. Its wings created a, sort of roof and its body arched forward, so it looked like a cave.

Sakura ran into it and sat hunched over, crying her eyes out. It wasn't long before it started to rain. Now she didn't have any other choice but to stay in there, unless she wanted to get soaked, so there she sat for who knows how long. She didn't want anyone to help her, because she felt she couldn't be helped.

As the thought crossed her mind, she glanced at her wrists. There wasn't much light, but she could see the cuts on them, that was her handiwork. Most of them were old, but you could still see the clear scars. The others were all new. One cut was so deep that it looked like her skin was split open.

She couldn't bear to look at them, so she dug them into her stomach. She cried for a few more minutes, then suddenly stood up, walked into the rain and screamed something no one ever thought they'd hear.

"_**I HATE THIS VILLAGE! I HATE THIS LIFE! I WANT TO **__**DIE**__**!"**_

After that, she collapsed onto the ground giving a few more sobs, but later there were no more tears coming out. As she lay there in the rain, she was slowly drifting asleep, unaware of the fate that awaited her…and even if she was, she didn't have the strength to care.

She was about to breath her last breath, when she heard the noise again. The screech from before, from the creature that mesmerised her. She used the last of her energy to glance up and saw the majestic eagle descend down to her. She closed her eyes, then slowly opened them. The eagle was real and was rushing to her side. She closed and reopened her eyes again and saw the eagle, now, almost close enough to touch. She blinked once more, but this time her gaze met that of a white hooded man.

She stared at him for les then a second, for her eyes gave in to the deep sleep that awaited her. She felt weightless, as if she was falling, no, sinking into the depths of a dark ocean…until something pulled her up.

Someone picked her up, but to her it felt as if someone was actually pulling her out from under. She was floating up towards the surface, not knowing what to expect. She saw a bright light as she neared the surface. She watched as she was now merely inches from the surface and felt a new found strength return to her. When she reached the surface, she immediately shut her eyes, due to the light. When she opened them she was in a room, _hers_.

She looked around confused. She didn't know what was going on, nor did she know who the man was that saved her…but she did know this…_she was_…_ALIVE._

* * *

**Well, this is the first chapter. Whether there is going to be a chapter 2 is entirely up to the reviews. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and please, let me know if I can improve anyhow :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Previously: **_

_She closed her eyes, then slowly opened them and saw the eagle, now, almost close enough to touch. She blinked once more, but this time her gaze met that of a white hooded man. _

_She felt weightless, as if she was sinking into the depths of a dark ocean…until something pulled her up._

_When she reached the surface, she immediately shut her eyes. When she opened them she was in a room, hers._

_She looked around confused. She didn't know who the man was that saved her…but she did know this…she was…ALIVE._

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Sakura was totally confused. The last thing she can remember was that white hooded man standing next to her. Was he the one who helped her? She couldn't know for sure. This was all so weird. She just couldn't understand it.

After a few seconds she sat up slowly and looked around her. She was still in the clothes she wore the night before, but they weren't soaked and neither was her bed. This was strange, considering that she was lying in rain for hours. A small blanket was draped over her. This was odd, but in a way, comforting.

Suddenly she clutched her head in pain. It felt as if she had a hangover. She sat in a hunched-back position taking deep, steady breaths. After a few seconds, it calmed down. When she looked up, her vision was a little blurry.

She decided to go get some pain pills, but as she tried to get of the bed, her wrists caved in under the pressure and made her winch in pain. She quickly clasped them around her stomach, like she did the night before. After a few steady breaths, she had gathered the courage to look at them and, to her surprise, they were bandaged. It looked far too neat for a man's handiwork, so she guessed someone else must've been there with him.

A ray of sun had somehow shown through the curtain. Sakura carefully got out of bed and opened the curtain slightly, just to peep outside. To her amazement, she the sun was setting. She stumbled over to her bedside table and looked at her alarm clock: _17:28._

Had she really slept through the entire day? If that was true, then people might be looking for her, no…_what was she thinking?_ They didn't care enough to listen to her. They're probably having a party to celebrate her _disappearance_.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a small sneeze. "Oh no" she thought. "It looks like I'm starting to get a cold. I guess I'll have to make a stop at the drugstore. It serves me right for wanting to stay out in the rain all night."

She quickly changed into some new clothes and ran a comb through her pale pink hair. For a moment she stood in front of the mirror. Her hair was certainly a lighter pink in comparison to her childhood look. This was the first time that she actually was troubled with her hair colour.

"Pink? Who would ever think highly of a girl with pink hair?"

She stood with a sad look on her face, when another sneeze broke the silence. She really needed to get medicine. She was feeling a little drowsy now.

Sakura stumbled through her apartment, still not used to walking again and grabbed her purse. As she made her way out the door, the image of the hooded man appeared again. Just who was he? And more importantly, was he friend or foe?

Sakura made her way across the street towards the drugstore that sat next to the hospital. She never stopped thinking about the eagle and the man all the while she walked.

When she reached the store, it was completely empty. She strolled up to the counter and rested her arms on it.

"Cold medicine, please"

The cashier reached behind her and picked up a smallish bottle full of liquid. She handed it to Sakura and told her the cost. Sakura reached into her pocket, pulled out some money and placed it on the counter. The cashier took the money and said, "I hope you feel better soon"

Sakura didn't even have the strength to answer. When she exited the building, she opened the bottle and took a small gulp of it. She almost immediately felt better.

Sakura then started to walk home, but someone stopped her. She didn't know what was going on; only that she was being hugged by a very childish blonde.

"SAKURA! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? KAKASHI-SENSEI SAID YOU LEFT LAST NIGHT AND NO ONE COULD FIND YOU! BUT YOU'RE BACK NOW! HEY, DO YOU WANNA GO FOR SOME RAMEN?"

Sakura looked at the blonde for a moment, stunned, but then she came back to reality.

"NARUTO! GET YOUR HANDS OF ME!"

Naruto was hit over the head with a fierce punch from Sakura.

"OWWW, SAKURA! THAT HURT!"

"SERVES YOU RIGHT!"

Naruto clutched his head. Sakura really gave him full blast of her fist. She suddenly felt a little sorry for him.

"Hey Naruto...Are you all right?"

"I think I have brain damage…could you take a look at, Sakura?"

Sakura slowly walked to his side. She knew he was exaggerating a little. When she looked at his head she saw nothing wrong with it.

"Naruto, your head is fine. You just have a small bump, that's all."

She actually felt a little guilty. When Naruto didn't answer she tilted his head so she could see his face. Instead of meeting a face of pain, she saw that his face was bright red. He wore a goofy smile and his eyes were closed.

Suddenly, all Sakura's guilt and mercy vanished. She gave him a death glare that meant he was about to die.

When Sakura stopped talking, he slowly opened his eyes and before he knew it, he was punched with such force that he flew to the other side of the street.

"OWW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"YOU KNOW DARN WELL WHAT, YOU IDIOT!"

Naruto looked to the other side with a small frown on his face and mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?!"

"Huh. OH, NOTHING SAKURA I WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO MYSELF! IT WASN'T ANYTHING BAD! OH, PLEASE DON'T HIT ME AGAIN!"

She almost giggled at his outburst,_ almost_.

"Fine, I've got other things to do anyway."

Sakura slowly started to walk away, when Naruto screamed out something.

"OH, WAIT SAKURA, GRANMA TSUNADE'S LOOKING FOR YA."

"What! Really?!"

"Ahuh. She said it was urgent and that if I found ya, I had to tell you right away."

"Great, this is all I need right now."

Naruto's face suddenly lit up.

"I'LL GO WITH YOU, SAKURA! I'LL MAKE SURE GRANMA TSUNADE DOESN'T GIVE YOU ANY PROBLEMS!"

"Thanks, Naruto"

Sakura reluctantly agreed and went with Naruto to the _Hokage's tower_.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

"Where were you last night, Sakura? And why did you only come back now, a day later!"

Sakura was facing a furious _hokage_. She had to think carefully before she answered.

"I was-"

"_Should I tell her what happened last night? And if I do, will they believe me? No, she probably won't, since I the only one in the village who talks about eagles and hooded men and- Wait a minute. I'm the only one who saw them and the hokage denies everything I mention about it. What if she's sent him to keep an eye on me and to make me go insane? It makes perfect sense! She's always sending someone after me and now that I know they're following me, she's sent someone that I won't recognise. How typical! There's no way I'm telling her what happened. She's just gonna make some excuse to prove me wrong."_

"I was upset about always being useless in the village, so I ran into one of the training fields. I guess I tripped and was too tired to get up again, so I fell asleep"

"Kakashi said you were upset and ran of, and that he tried to follow you, but couldn't find you. It must've been raining hard for him not to see you…You look a little pale, Sakura. Do you have a cold?"

"I think so. I was sleeping in the rain last night, so it's understandable."

_Tsunade _gave a troubled look and folded her arms. Suddenly the door opened and the captain of the _anbu black-ops _stepped in.

"You requested my presence, _Lady Hokage?"_

"Yes, I want a few of your men to guard Sakura for the time being."

Sakura stared at her in shock. Did she hear right? Was the _hokage _appointing _anbu_ to guard her?

"I want you to follow her everywhere. We can't afford the best madic in town, falling unconscious in the rain now, can we?"

She couldn't believe it. She had to walk around knowing that someone was watching her every move…and be okay with it!

"I'll send only my best men to guard her, _Lady Hokage"_

Sakura stared at the masked _anbu_ in disbelief. As she stared he disappeared in a puff of smoke. She glanced at the blonde haired female in front of her.

"Don't give me that look, Sakura. You know this only to ensure your safety?"

"My safety! Why do I need to be followed by _anbu_. What is threatening me that I need to be protected this much?!"

"Sakura, you're just going to have to trust me on this."

"But I-"

"You are dismissed, Sakura. You can go home."

_Tsunade _glanced at Naruto.

"Naruto, will you escort Miss Haruno to her apartment?"

Surprisingly, Naruto agreed without mentioning anything about the _anbu_. Sakura felt a little hurt by the fact that her best friend wouldn't stand up for her, so she walked out of the room in silence.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

On the way to her apartment, Naruto couldn't stop talking about the new ramen he tasted the day before. Sakura just remained silent and listened to the blonde babble.

When they reached her apartment, Sakura unlocked the door, then turned around and stared at Naruto for a few seconds.

"Is something wrong?"

"Naruto, why is _Lady Tsunade_ sending _anbu _to protect me?"

Naruto's face turned serious. He replied in an almost emotionless voice.

"Sakura…just know that this is for a good reason. I can't tell you anything else. I'm sorry."

This made Sakura snap.

"WHY WON'T ANYONE TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON? IS THERE SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME…OR AM I JUST A STUPID 2 YEAR OLD THAT NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED BY EVERYONE?!"

"Sakura, please jus-"

"Well you know what, Naruto? I don't want anything to do with this village anymore! All of you can just go away and leave me to my own demise, for all I care!"

With that said she went in her apartment and slammed the door shut in his face. Naruto just stood there speechless and didn't understand what just happened.

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Sakura marched up to her room in a foul mood. How could they do this to her?


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here it is. Chapter 3. I hope you enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me.**

* * *

_**Previously:**_

"_I want a few of your men to guard Sakura for the time being." The hokage stated._

"_Naruto, why is Lady Tsunade sending ANBU to protect me?"_

"_Sakura…just know that this is for a good reason… I can't tell you anything else. I'm sorry."_

_Outside the window stood three ANBU on a rather thick branch, looking into the room._

"_They're pretty stupid to be in the anbu black-ops. Who in the world hired them, Naruto?"_

"_I have a feeling this is gonna be a looong night…"_

* * *

Sakura awoke the next morning feeling much better, but extremely tired. Those _ANBU_ kept her up all night. She could hear them walking on the roof and shouting at each other outside. She tossed and turned the entire night.

The light shined through her curtains and into her eyes. Sakura wasn't in the mood to get up so she pulled her duvet over her head, blocking out the sunlight. This time she fell asleep rather quickly.

She finally fell into the sleep she was dreaming of for days and was sure nothing could ruin it…how wrong she was.

She was sleeping quite peacefully, until she was woken up by a knock on the door. She wasn't in the mood for any people so she ignored it. A few seconds later, she heard the knock again, this time a little louder and more urgent. Sakura merely reached for her pillow and planted it on her head trying to keep the noise out. When she didn't hear anything, she felt satisfied and continued her little nap…until a loud crash was heard by the entrance. This woke her up completely.

She jumped out of bed and rushed to her chest of draws, pulling out a _kunai_ knife and standing in a defensive position. She heard the hurried footsteps approach her room and got herself ready to fight whoever it was that dared to come into her room. When her door flung open, she lunged at the intruders with all her might, but when she saw who it was, she had to pull out all stops to try to come to a halt.

In her doorway stood five ANBU, three of which were the ones from the night before. Sakura was shocked, then confused, then finally outraged.

"What the heck are you doing in my apartment?!" she screamed. Sakura wasn't in a good mood and now was not a good time to play jokes on her.

"You didn't answer the door so we assumed something had happened to you." one of the ANBU answered.

"How could something have happened to me?! You were outside my apartment all night!"

"We didn't want to take any chances, Sakura. We live in a dangerous world and-"

"You think I can't protect myself?! Why would- you know what, never mind" she sighed. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Well, you didn't get up at your usual time, so we thought we'd see if you were okay and then you didn't open the door so-"

"What?! You barged into my apartment just because I didn't get up at my usual time?! You're unbelievable!" she screamed. "That's it. Just…get out!"

"But Sakura, we're only following ord-"

"Are you deaf?! I said get out!"

"But-"

"Get. Out!" she screeched.

The ANBU retreated outside and Sakura slammed the door shut.

'_This is crazy. It's hardly been a day and they're driving me nuts! I can't live like this!' _she thought.

'_I'm going to talk to Lady Tsunade about this. I simply refuse to carry on like this!'_ she decided.

Sakura went to her dresser and pulled on her normal pink pullover and skirt, complete with her black tights, shoes and gloves. After she had finished pulling everything straight in her apartment, she marched to the door, but before she exited she noticed something was missing in her attire. She walked back and looked at herself in the mirror. After a few moments, it hit her.

'_My headband'_

She went back to her room and reached for her headband, but hesitated a little before picking it up. She tied it around her head and made her way out of her apartment. She made sure the door was locked before heading to her destination. As she walked in the street, she heard a snap coming from above her. She looked up, only to meet the faces of those idiotic ANBU. Sakura gritted her teeth and continued walking, this time in a faster and angrier pace. The trip to the Hokage's Tower turned out to be the longest one she had in a long time.

* * *

The Hokage was sitting in her desk, doing her paperwork while Shizune was rambling about how much she drinks. Tsunade didn't really pay any attention to her and poured another glass of sake. She was in mid sip, when the door flung open and Sakura stepped in and sent an ANBU flying across the room. Tsunade looked at her apprentice in a shocked, yet confused manner.

"Sakura, what are you-"

"Do these idiots actually have the right to call themselves ANBU black-ops?" Sakura stated pointing to the men standing in the doorway.

"What do you mean?"

"Can they actually be classified as ANBU? They're about as skilled as a bunch of four year olds!"

"Sakura, they're there to help you and prot-"

"Help me?! They've been as helpful as a fly!"

"What about them is bothering you so much?"

"You need to ask me what about them is _not_ bothering me," Sakura stated.

"All right, calm down. What about them is making you so angry?"

"First off, they've been stalking me ever since I left the tower last night; they're as silent as a two year old throwing a tantrum; they've kept me up all night with their whispering and shoving _**and**__ this morning they broke down my door__** just**__ because I didn't answer it in time_!" she exclaimed.

"What?" Tsunade replied and glared at the ANBU.

"I know it's hardly been a day, but I can't live like this Lady Tsunade," Sakura pleaded.

"Sakura, will you go wait in the hall, while I have a word with them?"

Sakura nodded and exited the office. She leaned her back against the wall and gave out a loud sigh. She was finally alone. A smile crossed her face and she closed her eyes.

'_Lady Tsunade will not let them get away with this. I'd love to hear what's going on in there'_

Then, a thought crossed her mind. An absolutely devious idea. She crept towards the door and put her ear to it. She heard Tsunade yell at them and she smirked.

'_It serves them right. They're not worth being ANBU'_

She wanted to hear more, but was interrupted by the sound of her name.

"Sakura?"

She spun around quickly and met the face of Kakashi. She suddenly remembered what happened the other night and felt a little guilty. She had left him standing there in the middle of the street when she ran away.

Kakashi had a look of concern on his face. He wondered why Sakura was standing outside the Hokage's office, but he chose not to speak just yet.

There was a short silence before Sakura spoke.

"Uh…um…good morning, sensei"

This was awkward for her. She didn't know how to explain her behaviour from the other night.

"Good morning, Sakura," he replied in his normal cheery tone, "How's the day treating you?"

"Oh, fine, thank you. Um…what are you doing here, sensei?"

"I'm handing in my late report on my previous mission," he answered, "And what's your reason for being here?"

"I came to see Lady Tsunade about the ANBU she's appointed to guard me. They're driving me crazy!"

A small chuckle came from Kakashi. She looked at him and saw the outline of a smile under his mask. She frowned a bit at the thought of the ANBU and folded her arms.

"What are they doing that's making you this mad?" he asked, "As far as I know they're supposed to be professionals"

"If you call breaking down my door, _professional_, then I don't want to know what they're teaching the academy students"

A small chuckle escaped his mouth again. "The ANBU of today are in pretty bad shape. They're nothing like what we're used to"

"You can say that again…Um…Kakashi-sensei, I'm sorry about…the other night. I wasn't myself"

Kakashi was silent for a moment, before answering. "It's okay. I could see something was up"

A moment of silence followed. Sakura was really getting tired of all these awkward silences. She tried to think of something to say. Anything.

"Well, uh, I guess-"

Before she could finish her sentence one the ANBU came out.

"Sakura, your presence is requested by the Hokage"

"Oh, okay"

She turned around and gave Kakashi a goodbye nod, before walking inside. The first thing she saw was the ANBU, all standing in a line facing her. She then turned and met the face of a rather serious Hokage.

"Sakura, I understand it's difficult having them with you", she said, eyeing the ANBU in her office, "but please understand, it's for your own safety"

"Safety? From what do I need to be guarded from?" she exclaimed in a frustrated manner.

"Sakura, calm down. Look, I've spoken to them and they've assured me that there will be no more misunderstandings like the one this morning"

"Misunderstandings? Lady Tsunade that was no misunderstanding, it was-"

"Sakura, I won't talk to you when you're in this state. Go home and calm down. I won't hear another word on this subject."

Sakura didn't know what to think. What could she do? This wasn't the life she had once loved, once cherished. No, this was more like a dungeon and she was the prisoner…just like in her dream.

Sakura reluctantly left the office and strode home, completely aware that those ANBU black-ops where still following her. When she reached her apartment, she saw two other ANBU trying to fix her door. When they noticed her, one of them waved. Sakura sighed and turned away. She decided to go to the flower shop to visit Ino. Maybe that will make her feel better.

* * *

When she arrived at the flower shop, she felt a sudden feeling of relief. She and Ino sat inside and talked for a while. Sakura told her how unbearable it was to have those ANBU following her.

"I can't believe Lady Tsunade's doing this. It's so unfair. I'm not that weak…am I?"

"Of course not. Look, I'm sure that, for whatever reason she's doing this, it's for a good cause"

"Oh no. Not you too?"

"Hey relax, okay? Let's just talk about something else"

"Fine"

Sakura spent the rest of the day at the flower shop. It was nice to get away from them. At the end of the day, Sakura and Ino walked back to her apartment, delivering comments on their surroundings along the way.

When they reached her apartment, her door was fixed. _'That's a good thing'_, she thought. She said goodbye to Ino and looked for her keys in her pockets. When she pulled them out, she heard someone call her. When she turned around, she saw all of the ANBU standing there in a neat row. One of them stepped forward and announced something.

"We're sorry for being an inconvenience, Sakura. We'll try to be stealthier this time"

"…"

"…Well, uh…Enjoy your evening"

And with that, they jumped up into the trees and onto the roof. Sakura sighed and unlocked her door. She entered and locked it again.

She was going to make tonight an early night. She changed into her PJ's and got into bed. It was hardly a few minutes before she was lights out.

That night she had the same dream as the night before. Everything was the same; the ninja, the eagle, the cage. It was all there. So much for a peaceful night.

* * *

She woke up at 4am the next morning due to those damn ANBU. Was she ever going to get a good night sleep?

Her day was the same as yesterday. She got up, confirmed her presence at the Hokage's office, tried to talk her out of it…and failed miserably, then spent the rest of the day with Ino or some of her other friends who weren't on missions.

The next two days were the same and she started getting into a routine. It was upsetting to think that this was what she did everyday, but what else could she do? The ANBU refused to let her train, by the order of the Hokage and she couldn't go anywhere else in the village on her own.

Sakura expected today to be just like the others, the same awakening, the same conversations, the same people, the same set backs…how wrong she was.

Today, she decided to go do her grocery shopping. She hoped it would be peaceful, but it was the complete opposite.

One of the ANBU tripped over a small dog and sent a basket of fruit flying. One of the others knocked a barrel of water over and it flooded the stands next to it. At the end, the whole market was wrecked. Sakura was forced to leave and felt rather upset with the ANBU.

After returning home and putting away the things she managed to purchase, she made her way to the flower shop. When she arrived, she breathed a sigh of relief and approached the flower shop, but before she could enter, the ANBU stopped her.

"We're sorry, Sakura, but by the order of the Hokage, you should return home or report to her office"

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but those are our or-"

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to abide by those orders! I hate you! Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Sakura spun around and dashed down the street, ducking and diving anywhere and everywhere. The ANBU tried to catch up to her and were succeeding at that. Sakura rounded a corner and dived into an ally way. She then used her chakra to run up the wall. Once she made it onto the roof she ran over to the next and jumped from one to the other. She finally stopped when she reached the village exit and jumped down. She expected the ANBU to be behind her, but to her surprise, they weren't. She sighed and slowly started to walk back to the flower shop.

Little did she know that, back when she was still running through the streets, each of the ANBU fell out of the trees, one after the other…with a circular wound piercing straight through their neck…

* * *

**A/N: There you have it. I'm sorry if this chapter bored you, but I needed to make it fit in line with what happens next. Thank you for taking the time to read my story, once again and please let me know if I need to improve.**


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